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News from Oakton May 12, 2015

 

Oakton Celebrates 44th Annual Commencement on May 19
More than 1,000 eligible students have petitioned to receive degrees and certificates from Oakton Community College – and approximately 300 of them will don caps and gowns to cross the stage, receive their diplomas, and celebrate at the College’s 44th Annual Commencement on Tuesday, May 19.

Richard H. Redfield, a former Chicago and Evanston firefighter and paramedic, will give the commencement address. Currently retired and living on a farm in southwest Wisconsin, Redfield received an associate in applied science degree at Malcolm X College, a bachelor of science degree at National Louis University, a physician assistant certification from Cook County Hospital, and took many courses at Oakton. After launching his own auto repair business, Redfield returned to Oakton to pursue a different career path. While taking medical courses, he was a member of the Honors Program and Phi Theta Kappa. He then went on to work as an orthopedic physician assistant at Evanston Hospital until he helped launch Telemedicine Solutions, LLC, in Schaumburg, where he played a key role in the development of the company’s WoundRounds, a mobile technology solution for wound management and prevention.

Also taking to the podium will be Student Government Association Past President Zainab Khan. The Niles North High School alumna and Morton Grove resident will give a farewell address. Heavily involved with Oakton’s SGA, she served as secretary and senator before rising to the rank of president and represented the student body as a member of the College’s Presidential Search Committee. During her time at Oakton, Khan interned in U.S. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky’s Glenview district office, and was active in the Emerging Leaders Program. An All-USA Illinois Community College Academic Team nominee and Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Bronze Scholar, Khan plans on pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public policy at a four-year college or university.

The College will confer its Distinguished Alumnus Award on Paul Johnson, a Sleepy Hollow resident and native of Green Bay, Wisconsin, who discovered his passion for psychology while attending Oakton. After graduating in 1994, he earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology and educational counseling, respectively, from Eastern Illinois University. Currently, Johnson serves as a counselor and distinguished professor of student development and psychology at Oakton. He is an active member of the Oakton Alumni Council, as well as a strong supporter of the Oakton Educational Foundation, for which he recently created a scholarship endowment to support students in need. Prior to Oakton, Johnson served two years in the U.S. Army. He was among the first troops of the U.S. Army Seventh Infantry Division to land in Panama City during Operation Just Cause in 1989.

 

Oakton Student Captures First Place at National Competition With His Slam Poetry
Oakton student Jesus Lark of Chicago won first place in poetry slam at the 33rd Annual Novice National Forensics Speech and Debate Tournament hosted by Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana March 13 – 15. The contest is an introductory competitive event advancing forensic education for first or second-year competitors.

Twenty-five schools from across the nation participated in the tournament, including Eastern Michigan University, Ball State University, Ithaca College, and Northern Illinois University. Oakton was one of only six community colleges to compete.

Lark contended against approximately 50 other students from around the country in the poetry slam division that consisted of elimination rounds until only six competitors remained. A panel of judges voted Lark’s performance about fatherhood as the best of the final six.

A graduate of Steinmetz High School, Lark appeared in the 2010 documentary Louder Than a Bomb that focused on poetry slam in Chicago.

“Jesus really gave it his all,” said David Nadolski, director of Oakton’s forensics speech and debate team. “His performance was brilliant and extremely powerful. I’m so proud of him because this was only the third time he has participated in a competition like this.”

Other Oakton speech and debate team members also had a good showing in Indianapolis. Daniel Radovanic (Maine East High School) of Niles captured sixth in the same category as Lark. Samantha Halston (Maine South High School) of Park Ridge received fourth place in the program oral interpretation category and Victor Balan (Glenbrook South High School) of Glenview finished sixth in the poetry division.

 

Oakton Closed for Memorial Day
Oakton’s campuses in Des Plaines (1600 East Golf Road) and Skokie (7701 North Lincoln Avenue) will be closed on Monday, May 25, for Memorial Day.

The College will reopen on Tuesday, May 26.

 

Oakton Showcases Health Information Technology at Free Information Session
Don’t miss your chance to discover your options in health information technology by attending a free information session at 6 p.m., Wednesday, June 3, in Room 1625, at Oakton Community College’s Des Plaines campus, 1600 East Golf Road.

College faculty will be on hand to discuss course requirements.

Career prospects for health information technicians are promising. The U.S. Department of Labor states that the number of positions in this area is expected to grow by more than 26 percent through 2015. In Illinois, HIT is among the 50 fastest-growing occupations.

See the complete list of health career information sessions.

For more information, call 847.635.1835.

Staff Profile

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Growing up in Zimbabwe, Chris Dubé was always getting into trouble. He now spends his time making sure systems run trouble-free.